Associate Professor Christopher Maher

Academic Title-Associate Professor

Overview

Associate Professor Christopher Maher is a tertiary-referral Urogynaecologist at the Wesley & Mater Private Hospitals and Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital and active researcher and teacher at the University of Queensland. His long-term commitment to research and evidence based medicine has been rewarded with over 100 peer-review publications and many presentations at National and International conferences. He is the past president of the Queensland CFA (Continence Foundation of Australia), former Secretary of AGES, Chairman of IUGA Scientific Committee, Chair of Urogynaecology committee RANZCOG and is currently lead author of the Cochrane Review and International Collaboration on Incontinence on the surgical management of prolapse. Associate Professor Christopher Maher is the current Chairman of the Urogynaecological Society of Australia.

Research Interests

Surgical management of pelvic organ prolapselead Cochrane review on the surgical management of prolapse
Lead International Collaboration Incontinence (ICI) on Surgical management of prolapse

Surgeon Volume and outcomesMeta-analysis of gynaecology and urogynaecology outcomes based on surgeon volumes

Tissue engineering for pelvic organ prolapseAnimal studies to evaluate 3-D printed material as a matrix in pelvic organ prolapse and abdominal hernia in the sheep model

Research Impacts

My research has largely docused on female pelvic floor dysfunction and intially revolved aroud the assessemnt and safety of surgical interventions for the management of pelvic floor dysfunction including

Reporting of and management of complications assocaited with mesh interventions for urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse

More recently I have focused on completeing structured systematic reviews on the surgical management of prolapse including:

Leading Cochrane reviews on the surgical management of prolapse in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016

Leading committee International Collaboration on Incontinence on the surgical management of prolapse 2013, 2017 after being member since 2008

Review articles on the pathway forward regarding the evaluation of new medical interventions

This body of research has been important in evlauting the efficacy of new interventions for female pelvic organ prolapse and identifying complications associated with these intervention. The reseach has been important and contributed to public debate surrounding the suitability of transvaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapse that is currently teh suject of Class actions worldwide and Govermant evaluations in New Zealand, Scotland and Australia.

Qualifications

Certificate of Urogynaecology

FRACOG

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, The University of Queensland

Mowat, Alex and Maher, Christopher (2017) Response to The mesh debate: Transvaginal anterior anchored mesh should not be abandoned.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,
57 2: 220-220. doi:10.1111/ajo.12626

Mowat, Alex and Maher, Christopher (2017) Response to The mesh debate: Transvaginal anterior anchored mesh should not be abandoned.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,
57 2: 220-220. doi:10.1111/ajo.12626

Mowat, Alexandra E. and Maher, Christopher (2017) Transvaginal mesh: let's not repeat the mistakes of the past.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,
57 1: 108-110. doi:10.1111/ajo.12597

Feiner, B., Jelovsek, J. E. and Maher, C. (2009) Efficacy and safety of transvaginal mesh kits in the treatment of prolapse of the vaginal apex: a systematic review.
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,
116 1: 15-24. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.2008.02023.x